


25 Years Later

by FoxBluereaver



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Distant Epilogue, F/M, Family, Humor, Married Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 04:46:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21293789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxBluereaver/pseuds/FoxBluereaver
Summary: Two and a half decades have passed since Ash began his adventures as a Pokémon Trainer. Now as the Regional Kanto Champion, happily married to his dear childhood friend, and with two lovable children who wish to follow his footsteps, there's not much else he could ask for in his life. Written for Day 3 of the PokéShipping Week 2019, theme: "Anime Finale".
Relationships: Kasumi | Misty/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Kudos: 7
Collections: Pokéshipping Week 2019





	25 Years Later

_ **Kanto region, Indigo Plateau…** _

Two and a half decades. That was the time that had passed since a ten-year-old boy departed from Pallet Town with a disobedient Pikachu in search for his dreams, towards a great adventure. An adventure that, despite everything he'd gone through and how much he'd grown, was far from over.

Although now he was taking a little breather, in order to dedicate his time to another important part of his life: his family.

"Oof, who'd have guessed that being the Regional Champion implied so much paperwork," he said as he stopped before the apartment building.

"Pikachu." His partner on his shoulder nodded in agreement.

"Well, home sweet home," Ash said again, stretching his arms. "Let's not make any noise in case they're still asleep."

After a long career as a trainer, taking part in over seven regional leagues, winning two of them before he even was of legal age, spending a season as a Kanto Frontier Brain, and eventually rise in the rankings to challenge the Elite Four and crown himself regional champion, there were very few challenges Ash Ketchum had yet to overcome. In fact, the only competition he had yet to win was the World Pokémon Master League, in order to crown himself as the number one Pokémon Master in the world. But, there was plenty of time before that.

Besides, being the regional champion already entailed many responsibilities, so he couldn't afford to compete in tournaments as freely as when he was a kid. Not everything was the glory of victory, the recognition from the masses and fighting strong opponents; there was also work, compromises in events, office work and other not-so-nice things. Then again, even if it wasn't always easy to deal with those parts of the job, it was always worth it.

When he exited the elevator, he walked towards the entrance and slid the key to enter the apartment. During his career, he'd managed to save enough money to afford buying his own place; a penthouse in the most elegant building of the Indigo Plateau, and the perfect home to enjoy his marital and paternal life.

The lights were all off, so just as he imagined, his wife and son were fast asleep. His daughter right now was at her grandma's house, and they could see her soon enough.

After all, the day after tomorrow was an important day, and that was why he was here.

"A midnight snack before going to bed," he said as he opened the fridge.

Ash made himself a huge sandwich with everything he found in the fridge, and opened a few Pokémon food cans for Pikachu. The electric mouse quickly chowed down everything, and once they finished, they walked slowly to one of the bedrooms.

The trainer carefully opened the door, and he saw his wife's silhouette sleeping peacefully on the bed. The room was so silent, he could hear her breathing, paused and relaxed. She didn't expect him until tomorrow, so she'd be in for a nice surprise.

"Shhh," he whispered at Pikachu as he approached the bed, kicking off his shoes. Carefully, he approached towards her face, and pushing away a couple of orange hair locks, he kissed her softly.

"Hmm… hmm?"

Ash could feel Misty moving in response, and a few seconds later her hands grabbed him from behind his head to pull him closer, while both slowly moved until they were in a sitting position. A few seconds later, the two separated to breathe.

"Ash? I thought you'd be back tomorrow."

"Surprise, I came out a few hours earlier," he said. "Ritchie offered to cover for me, otherwise I wouldn't have finished that paperwork in time. I owe him one for this."

"Typical of you," Misty giggled, giving him a finger tap on the forehead. "But I'm glad you came, you know I always miss you when you're not here."

"And I miss you guys." He grabbed the blankets to cover them both. "Besides, there's no way I'd miss the day my son goes to get his starter Pokémon."

"Haze will be happy with that," Misty replied, embracing him.

Meanwhile, Pikachu went to cuddle between them. Except for the nights when Ash and Misty decided to… intimate, it was nice to be there. After all, he too was part of the family. A family that had grown over the years, and probably would continue to grow.

* * *

_ **The next morning…** _

"DAAAAAAAAAAAD!"

"Yo, champ in the making, hahahahaha!"

After getting up and making breakfast, Misty went to wake their son up, whose first reaction upon getting to the dining hall was to jump on Ash for a big hug. He clearly was as happy as Misty to see he'd come much sooner than they expected, nd the surprise was well-received.

Now the three were eating together. Coming from parents with big appetites, Haze was just like Ash and Misty, and the competitions over who could eat more or finish their plate first were not infrequent in the Ketchums' table.

"Haha, and I win again! Thanks for the meal!" Misty exclaimed, and then downed her glass of milk in a single gulp.

"Ah sheesh," Ash said. "Son, we have to work harder, we can't let your mom make us look bad."

"Don't blame me. Mom's food is so good, sometimes it gets me distracted," the boy replied.

Ash snickered at the comment. If only he knew; Haze didn't even imagine that Misty wasn't always the great cook she was today. Of course, she had a lot of help from Ash's mother and several of his others friends with experience in that area, and although it took her a while and plenty of failures along the way, she eventually managed.

"Anyways, are you ready, Haze?" Ash asked. "Tomorrow's your big day. Have you already decided your Pokémon?"

"Oh yeah," the boy replied. "Ashei won't be able to rub it in my face being ahead of me. Now I'll have my own Pokémon to start as a trainer too."

"She still has a head start over you," Misty intervened. "Two years and two Pokémon League tournaments under her belt aren't small feat. You'll have to work hard to catch up to her."

"I don't want it any other way. You'll see, I'll be the next Kanto Champion!"

The family shared a hearty laugh, and while the boy ran off to his room to change clothes, his parents stayed there, gazing with nostalgia at the photographs filling the shelves, the biggest indicator of how much time had passed.

There were several from their first journeys through Kanto and Johto, when they were kids, as well as the championships Ash had won. There was also their wedding, the birth of their daughter, Ashei, and Haze's two years later Haze. From there on out they showed a sequence of how the two children grew, until they reached one showing the four of them together in front of the Pallet Town house.

Ashei was the taller between both, just like Misty was at that age. Her face was the spitting image of her mother's, with the same skin tone and aquamarine eyes, but she'd inherited Ash's jet-black hair, and his habit of wearing baseball caps. Her hair was tied in a back ponytail falling a little below the shoulders, unlike the side ponytail Misty would wear at her age. She smiled at the camera while carrying a small Charmander in her arms, the offspring of Ash's own Charizard, and who recently had reached his final stage.

Haze, on the other hand, had gotten a lot more from his paternal side, as he had tanner skin, the same brown eyes and Z-shaped facial marks under his cheeks as Ash. His hair was of a shade between Delia's auburn and Misty's red-orange, framed in a similar way as his grandmother's (including her single rebel lock in the middle) albeit much shorter. In the photo, he glared sideways at his sister, with a glint of envy in his eyes.

"Time surely flies, they grow up so fast," Ash commented.

"I know," Misty agreed. "I can't believe it's been two years since Ashei left for the first time. And tomorrow Haze will finally do the same."

"Hmm, so, does that worry you?" Ash asked. "Won't you feel a little lonely without them around?"

"Why would I?" She turned around to face him. "If you're here, I'll never feel lonely."

The two smiled at each other, before giving each other a sweet kiss. The reason why Ash wasn't in a hurry to take part in the Pokémon Masters League was because, over time, he discovered things that were more important than his trainer career. One of them, of course, was getting married to his childhood friend and form a family with her, something that, along with new responsibilities, brought him great joy and happiness.

Before getting married, Ash had some doubts. First, although he really loved Misty, he was concerned about leaving his mother all alone, considering they'd have to move to their own place to have their family. Delia assured him he had nothing to worry about, since she had friends like Professor Oak over there, and even if he left to live elsewhere, part of his heart would always reside in Pallet Town, and all she cared about was for his happiness. Nevertheless, Ash and Misty would always visit Delia whenever they could, and he was happy that even after the years she was as cheery as ever.

With his father being absent during practically his whole life, Ash made a point that he would never let his career get in the way of his family life. Thus, he wanted to be there in every important moment of his children's lives, to be up to date with their avatars to celebrate their victories, to cheer them up during defeats to help them back on their feet, and form them to be good people. They had chosen the same path he did as their life vocation, and although they wanted to walk it on their own, he'd be there to guide them when he needed it.

And that included, of course, to accompany them the day they chose their starter Pokémon to begin their journeys as trainers.

_ ***RING, RING, RING! INCOMING CALL FROM THE CERULEAN GYM!*** _

The ringtone of Misty's cellphone forced them to interrupt their kiss. The woman took it and pushed the answer button immediately.

"Hello? Oh, hey Dorian, how's everything at the…?" Suddenly her expression became frozen, her pupils shrunk themselves, and her face paled and turned completely shocked. "Lily did WHAT?! But that's…! Yeah, yeah, I get it. Yeah, I'm on my way. See you there."

Once she ended the call, she facepalmed and shook her head.

"Bad news?" Ash asked with some concern.

"Nothing you should worry about," Misty said, trying to make him feel at ease. "But I won't be able to go with you guys to Pallet Town. They need me and Cerulean and I have to go ASAP."

"Does it have to be now? Can't you ask someone else, your sisters, maybe?"

"I'm sorry," Misty apologized, clearly feeling disheartened over it. "This isn't simple paperwork you can ask somebody else to help you with. I have to go."

Ash sighed. They'd been planning that visit to Pallet Town for months, and the whole family was supposed to go. But he knew that if Misty had said she couldn't ignore that call, it was because she couldn't. Just like she couldn't do so on the day they had to part ways; she did it because she had to, not because she liked it.

"I get it. Whatever you have to do, go ahead and do it," Ash said. "I'll watch Haze for both of us."

"I'm counting on you, take care of him," Misty warned him, before giving him another kiss and going to her bedroom.

Ash in the meantime sat on a chair in the living room. As always, Murphy's law would strike when they less needed it, and the Ketchum family reunion would be one member short. Alas, if that was going to be the case, he had to pick up the slack for Misty and do better for both of them.

He wouldn't let his son's big day get ruined over a silly thing like that.

* * *

_**Later**_…

It goes without saying Haze was not happy that his mother wouldn't be coming with them to Pallet Town, neither to see him depart for the first time. To make up for that, Ash offered to let him ride one of his Pokémon by himself. One of the advantages of traveling that way was how much time they could save, as they'd only take a few hours from Indigo as opposed to one week on foot.

Right then, Ash was riding on Charizard's back, while Haze rode on Pidgeot's. Right when they were passing over the forest grove in Route 1 near Pallet Town, a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto flew close to them, doing some loops and turns all over the place, as if welcoming them.

Shortly after, Pidgeot himself joined them, and the younger Ketchum child quickly took to enjoy himself.

"YAHOOOOOOO! YEAAAAAHH! Check this out, Dad, no hands!"

"Careful with that, Haze!" Ash warned him.

Even so, Ash knew perfectly none of his Pokémon would dare hurt or endanger his children. They knew their limits, after all. And seeing how thrilled he was about starting his own Pokémon journey, he had the right to have some fun.

After a while, the flock finally flew away, and they continued forward to their destination. After passing through the path leading to Pallet Town's entrance, they headed southwards, where the original Ketchum home awaited. And even though he moved out of it years ago, to him was still his home.

Sure enough, by the entrance there was already a female figure, waving her arms at them. That was Ashei, awaiting them.

"Granny, they're here!" she heard them call out at the house.

A few seconds later, Pidgeot and Charizard landed, allowing Haze and Ash to dismount. The elder Ketchum child quickly ran to them, first grabbing her little brother's neck to give him a few noogies.

"Hey! How's my favorite little brother?"

"Ouch! Stop it, let go of me!" Haze shouted. "Besides, I'm your only brother!"

"Ashei, knock it off," Ash said. The twelve-year-old, soon to become thirteen, turned around to give her dad a big hug.

"Daddy, I missed you!" she exclaimed.

"So did I. Hey, have you grown taller?" Ash asked upon realizing something.

"You noticed? I grew a few inches the past summer, what do you think?" She twirled around and posed. "At this rate I might leave you and Mom behind."

"I see that." Ash then noticed something else. "However, what does _that _mean, young lady?"

The girl's outfit reminisced a lot of the style Ash wore when he first started his journey: a red and white baseball cap, an open denim jacket with a red blouse underneath slightly baring her midriff, matching pants and even black running shoes, a bit more modern than the ones he used to wear.

However, Ash was pointing specifically at something that was on Ashei's left leg. Or rather, the lack thereof something.

"Are you going to keep ripping your pants' legs like that?" he scolded her. "That's the third one in a row."

"Aw c'mon, Dad. At least I didn't make the cut so low," Ashei defended herself. "And Mom used to wear shorter shorts, what are you complaining about?"

"She got you there, Dad," Haze nodded in agreement. "You loved to look at them, didn't you?"

Ash wanted to protest, but for better or worse, his children were right on both accounts. But it was one thing that he liked to stare at his future wife's shorts (even if he didn't know she'd be back then), and it was another that his twelve-year-old daughter was walking around out there with a leg completely bare.

"There's no point in arguing, Ash," another voice intervened. "They're your children after all, you should be used to them doing what they want. You used to be that way, remember?"

Ash turned around towards the entrance door, and smiled upon seeing his mother. Even though she was in her mid-fifties, Delia Ketchum barely looked above her forties. Nobody would believe she was old enough to have two grandchildren over ten years old, especially with how cheery and sunny she always looked.

"Granny!" Haze jumped to hug her.

"Hey, sweetie," she replied, returning the hug. "Your room is ready, just as you like it."

"Cool, here I come!" he cheered as he ran into the house. "Bet you can't beat me upstairs, Ash Junior!"

"How many times I've told you not to call me that?!" Ashei shouted, running after him.

As the kids went screaming and running upstairs, and after a few cries that surely belonged to Mimey complaining because he'd just wiped the floor and they dirtied it again, Ash and Delia se let themselves laugh, before staring at each other with nostalgia, and then the older woman gave her son the usual welcome.

"Welcome home, Ash. Misty didn't come with you?"

"She had an emergency at the Cerulean Gym, so she had to go. Too bad; she wanted to be here to see Haze off too."

"Well, we can always send her the pictures," Delia said as she pulled out her cellphone. "I guess you must be starving after flying all the way from Indigo, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah," Ash nodded. "It's been a long journey."

"Well, you're lucky, because tonight we're having a special dinner. We're celebrating the day before Haze begins his journey as a Pokémon trainer."

Ash and Pikachu smiled at that. Meanwhile, Pidgeot and Charizard went off to Oak's ranch to meet up with the rest of their friends, while their trainer put his mother up to date with the latest news, before they prepared their family dinner.

Indeed, the Ketchums had a lot to celebrate that day.

* * *

_ **The following day…** _

After getting up early and a good breakfast, Ash and his children walked towards Oak's Lab. Meanwhile, Delia stayed at home preparing the last few details for her grandson's departure.

All the way, the siblings bickered with each other, with Ashei telling Haze he had a long way to go before catching up to her, and he replying that she wouldn't notice when he caught up until he'd left her trailing behind.

"I've got two years ahead of you, little bro, you'll have to work a lot to get on my level."

"The biggest the hurdle, the greater the reward. It wouldn't be satisfying if it was too easy."

Ash couldn't help but smile as he saw them so motivated, and he was certain that would help them a lot in the future. They had inherited the competitiveness from both sides, and they reminded him a lot of himself and Misty in their rookie days.

Even though back then it was more because he tried to impress her, while she kept treating him like a child until he proved her how much he'd improved.

"Well, well. The Ketchums coming in first on the handout day? Never thought I'd see the day."

"Morning, Gary. Or should I call you, Professor Oak?" Ash replied.

By the entrance gate there was a man with brown spiky hair, wearing a lab coat. Gary Oak, once upon a time Ash's rival, who chose to become a Pokémon researcher and follow his grandfather's footsteps. In fact, since old Samuel Oak finally decided to retire, his grandson took over the lab, including the duty of giving their starter Pokémon to the new trainers of Pallet Town.

"Good morning, Professor," Haze greeted. "Hey, what do you mean coming in first?"

"Ah, didn't Dad tell you?" Ashei intervened. "Didn't he ever tell you how he slept in on her first day, and arrived late to the Pokémon handout?"

"For real?" Haze asked, surprised. "Dad, you never told me that."

"He should have told you that story today," Ashei continued. "After all, he told me when I first departed. Which explains why his first Pokémon was a Pikachu and not one of the traditional starters."

"Yeah, and I was planning on telling you too… if _someone _hadn't beaten me to the punch," Ash said, glaring at his old rival with squinted eyes. "Isn't that right, Gary?"

"Hehe, sorry, but you never forget your first day as a trainer," Gary said. "Let alone when your first Pokémon turns out to be a little Pikachu who doesn't do anything you tell him."

"Pikachu." This time, it was Pikachu who looked away in shame. He didn't like being reminded of that first day, or that attitude he surely didn't feel proud of.

"Is that true? Pikachu didn't obey you?" Haze asked, clearly in disbelief.

"Oh yeah, you should have seen it," Gary said. "You'd never imagine those two would grow to become the number one trainer and Pokémon duo in Kanto, isn't that right, Ash?"

"Are you going to spoil our story even more, or you'll let me tell them myself?" Ash asked. "I'm their father, I'm supposed to be the one to tell them. It's less embarrassing that way."

"Come on, knowing you, you'd probably omit the juiciest details," Gary replied. "Like for instance, how you broke your alarm clock during the night, and that's why you didn't wake up in time."

Both siblings gave their father an inquisitive look, and Ash in turn blushed. Indeed, he had omitted that "tiny" detail when he told Ashei the tale the first time, and she was clearly giving him an accusing glare. Haze didn't look any less surprised.

"I… must have slipped it," he excused himself with a nervous chuckle. "It's been a long time since then, after all."

Even though it was nostalgic to recall his beginnings as a trainer, he still found it embarrassing to talk about the morning of his first day. Sleeping in because he broke his alarm clock, going out still wearing his pajamas to pick up his first Pokémon, and to have your rival rub it in your face that he made it there before you, definitely none of that went well with the regional champion. Even if it was still privy to Ash's closest circle of family and friends, and for better or worse, he'd make sure it stayed that way.

"Well, let's get down to business," Haze said. "You have something for me, don't you, Professor?"

"Of course, come in. You're lucky; unlike your father, you're the first trainer today."

Ash couldn't help but glare at Gary for a second. It seemed that some things would never change. Then again, he didn't want them to change. If both his children could have a better start than he did, then they could potentially surpass him in achievements at that age. That was a good first step.

…

Once inside the lab, Haze found himself face to face with three Pokéballs, each one marked with a specific symbol: a green leaf, a red flame, and a blue water drop. That pretty much gave away which Pokémon was inside each, and Haze watched thoughtfully.

"Take your time to decide, there's no need to hurry," Gary said.

"You should choose Charmander," Ashei said. "I already did, and look at how well I've fared. Though Squirtle wouldn't be a bad choice either. That way you could have an advantage against me, should you train well."

"I had already decided long agon," Haze said, outstretching his hand. "And this is my choice."

He grabbed the Pokéball with the green leaf and triggered to let the occupant out. The Bulbasaur materialized on the table and opened his eyes to glance at his new trainer.

"So Bulbasaur," Gary said. "Any particular reason?"

"My sister started with Charmander. If I start with Bulbasaur, one day we can get our starters to fight each other face to face," Haze said. "It'll be much sweeter if I can beat you with a type disadvantage."

"Oh, you haven't even begun your journey and you're already challenging me?" Ashei asked. "Let me remind you that my Charmander, now Charizard, inherited the genes of Dad's Charizard, and you know how strong he is. You won't have it easy to face mine with a type disadvantage."

"And who said I wanted it that way, Sis?" Haze replied. "Like I said before, the bigger the challenge, the bigger the satisfaction. Nothing like a self-imposed challenge to improve oneself."

For a moment, both adult men and the Pikachu could have sworn they saw sparks flying between the siblings' eyes. Almost as the ones that occasionally flew between them at that age. A little bit more and they could probably get on fire.

"Okay, now that's wrapped up," Gary said. "Now, the essentials for any beginner trainer: here's your Pokédex and your Pokéballs."

Haze held up the device, which looked a lot like a flip phone with touch screen. Upon flipping it open, it automatically started up.

**"This Pokédex unit has been programmed by Professor Gary Oak," **it said upon blaring to life. **"Please touch the screen for fingerprint registration and say your name out loud."**

"Haze Ketchum," he said as he tapped the screen with the index finger. The Pokédex beeped a few times while a load bar filled the screen, until an 'OK' icon.

**"Haze Ketchum, ID confirmed, number 081019."**

Once the registration finished, Haze pointed the device at his starter Pokémon, pressing the button to scan it.

**"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokémon, a Grass and Poison-type starter Pokémon from the Kanto region. A large bulb grows on its back since its birth and to date scientists are still debating whether Bulbasaur should be qualified as plant or animal. This Bulbasaur is male and knows the moves Tackle, Vine Whip and Razor Leaf."**

"Cool." Haze closed the device and approached his Pokémon. "How are you, little buddy? The name's Haze and I'll be your trainer from today. How's that sound to you?"

"Bulba, bulbasaur," he happily replied.

"Looks like you've taken a like to each other, good sign," Ash said pleasantly, while Haze returned him to his ball. "Okay, I think we're done here. Let's go back home, your grandma's waiting."

"Say, Haze, how about we do some warm up? It'll be good to test your new Bulbasaur. Don't worry, though; I'll go easy on you."

"Hah, as if we needed that," Haze said. "I don't need you to hold my hand all the way, Sis."

Both siblings ran out of the lab, leaving the champion and researcher alone, chuckling at seeing them still bickering with each other. That definitely brought them memories.

"They remind me a lot of us," Gary commented. "Then again, it's no surprise, considering who's their mother."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Ash replied.

Of course not. Those two children were his biggest pride and joy, even more because the one who gave birth to them was his dearest childhood friend, great rival and traveling companion.

* * *

_ **At noon…** _

After lunch, the departure time came. Ashei and Haze had already picked their backpacks with everything they needed for traveling.

Haze had decided to take the same starting route his father had taken: going first to Viridian City, and incidentally, Ashei was also planning on going there before taking a detour to Indigo and then to the Silver Mount in Johto, which meant they'd walk the first stretch together. Ashei seemed very delighted with this, while Haze didn't find it funny.

"Watch that your brother doesn't get into trouble," Delia warned them. "Even though they were trainers, you better be careful out there."

"Leave it to me, Granny," Ashei replied with a wink. "There's no way he's gonna get lost with my guidance."

"Don't start with that now, I can take care of myself," Haze replied. "Really, Granny, you don't need to worry about me. Rather, maybe _I _should be the one looking out so she doesn't get into trouble, you know how she is."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That's enough," Ash intervened before they exploded in another argument. "Haze, the Viridian Gym could be a good choice to start, but you better practice before you challenge it. I trust you'll do well."

"Of course, Dad. I won't let you down," Haze assured.

"Haha, I don't expect any less from my little brother," his sister said. "And if something comes up, don't worry, I'll be there to comfort and help you get back up."

"Gee, thanks." Haze gave a few steps forward. "How about a race? I bet I can get to Viridian before you do."

"Haha, you shouldn't make bets you can't win, little bro."

"Then why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" He gave her a little shove in the shoulder before running off. "Tag, you're it, Ash Junior!"

"I told you, DON'T call me that!" she shouted before running after him.

Both siblings ran towards the exit of Pallet Town, screaming and laughing out loud while Ashei tried to catch Haze. Ash and Delia glanced at them with some nostalgia, while the trainer grabbed his phone to send the photos to his wife, so she could see their children's departure.

"How lively, they remind me of you and Misty back then," Delia said.

"Well, they're our children, what did you expect?" Ash replied. "They both had a better first day than me. If they keep up that way, one day they'll surpass me, I'm sure of it."

"Are you worried about that?" Delia asked.

"No, not at all," Ash answered firmly. "In fact, I wanna be there when it happens. If I can give them my champion titles personally when I decide to retire, much better for me."

"Pikachu," the electric mouse added.

Ash knew that his own journey and career as a trainer were far from over, even when he saw his two children depart to their own adventure. They were now his biggest pride and hope for the future, and he was certain they'd make it even further than he did, with enough encouragement.

Ash couldn't ask for more in life: he was a successful trainer, he was married to a wonderful woman and fathered two beautiful children who wanted to follow his footsteps. To see them grow and become great Pokémon Masters would be his biggest joy, and he wanted to be there for every important step they took. Unlike his own father, he didn't have to leave his family to chase after his dreams. In fact, his family had become an important part of that dream, and sharing it with them only made him even happier.

The journey and adventures would never end, and even once he retired, his children would ensure his legacy would continue to live on.

**FIN.**

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, yeah, I know what you're about to say, maybe I chose the laziest and most obvious option. But well, I'd wanted to introduce my PokéShipping fankids for quite a while, so I took the chance, as they're the first I create for the Pokémon fandom (I already had two for the ZeLink couple in The Legend of Zelda). And what can I say; I'm rather fond of distant epilogues showing the characters happily married and with children, so sue me.
> 
> In regards to their physical appearance, it wasn't too hard to create them; in fact I had them visualized as to how I wanted them to look for quite a while, even choosing the daughter's clothes beforehand (I wanted to give her a specific style so I thought about the one-legged jeans). The hardest part was perhaps choosing names, since I didn't want to use the most obvious ones, such as Aaron or Ashley, for instance. While choosing the name "Ashei" (for the nickname "Ash Jr.") didn't take me that long (thanks Twilight Princess), I had a harder time with the son, since I wanted to give him a name that could reference his mother just like the daughter did the father. Fortunately, thanks to Shadechu Nightray I managed to find "Haze" as a variant of "Mist". Thanks for that, girl!
> 
> So, as one last thing, this could be easily seen as the endgame for any of my continuities, including the one I started with "More than Meets the Eye". Hope you enjoyed it, with this I've cleared Day 3 and the Anime Finale theme. See ya tomorrow!


End file.
